Until You're Broken
by Shannamon
Summary: Katniss' family is broken. Her mother and Prim taken to the Capital, her father remains in District Twelve. With a better understanding of the Capital and all it's luxuries see how Katniss deals with the Hunger Games, the Rebellion, and Peeta and Gale.
1. Chapter 1

Hello again, I'm back with a new story. Anyone following my other story Scars From Tomorrow I'm not finished but I know I've been neglectful and I'm sorry. I truly am writers blocked with that piece and I am 100% going to finish it but I need to get this one out of my head first.

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Prologue

I could feel him watching me the whole time I sang the valley song. He made me feel shy and I tried not to look his way, but eventually our eyes would find each other. My eyes would dart away from his, but he just kept looking at me with those warm ice coloured eyes. His gaze made me twist one of my long braids around my fingers nervously while I sang. I don't think things like that are supposed to make sense when you are four years old, but somehow I knew that Peeta Mellark was special and maybe he thought I was, too. We didn't talk to each other directly until later in the week, the day I had brought one of my father's freshly shot squirrels to school. I ate slowly unconsciously I glanced at the cookie with an icing flower decorating the top. As special as Peeta Mellark may be I couldn't help but envy that he got to bring that cookie to school. I couldn't help but dream about how that cookie must taste, how lucky Peeta Mellark was to be born a merchant who can bring cookies to school everyday.

A thunk noise snaps me out of my day dreaming, and I realize Peeta Mellark moved from his seat with the rest of the merchant kids in our class. Even at the tender age of four years old the line between Seam and Merchant is drawn. "You Seam kids are so lucky when it comes to lunch. All I get are these cookies that are too old to sell at the bakery. I'll trade you my whole cookie for some of your meat." Peeta says with a kind smile.

"I don't need your handouts." I say stonily, the way I've seen my daddy say to merchants like the old man at the Apothecary. Daddy hates it, but sometimes he has no choice but to trade with him in the middle of winter when it's impossible to find the herbs my mother needs for her remedies. So many people in the Seam depend on her when they are sick.

"It's not a handout." Peeta's friendly gaze falters and he looks sad. I instantly regret my words as Peeta sadly begins to collect his lunch that he brought with him to my table. His cheeks are red and I realize I've embarrassed him. I look back to his table where I see a small group of merchants watching us and giggling. They probably warned him not to talk to me.

Quickly, before Peeta has a chance to actually stand up and head back to the merchant table I say, "All I mean is that a cookie for some squirrel meat is not a fair trade. My daddy always says that you need to make sure that when you are trading both people need to feel like the deal is fair." I leave out the part where he told me that I should always make sure that I come away with more that what I gave up for trading. Peeta's eyes light up when he realizes that he has not been totally rejected.

"Okay, what would be fair?" Peeta asks tentatively.

I laugh, "You're a terrible trader. You're not supposed to ask what you can give me in exchange. You just offer something that you think is equal to squirrel meat."

"But a cookie is worth squirrel meat. You see, I have two big brothers at home. As the littlest, when it comes to fighting for your food I never win. The meat that you have there is more than I've ever gotten to eat on my own by half. I get these stale cookies everyday. See, your squirrel lunch is worth more than my cookie." Peeta smiles brightly.

"You're still doing it wrong." I explain with a giggle. I glance toward the merchant table and find the kids there are still paying too much attention to me and Peeta. So I lean a little closer to him and speak quietly so that I know they won't over hear me when I tell Peeta, "You're not supposed to make what you have seem like it's worth less than what I have."

Peeta leans just as close to me, our faces so close that I can see exactly how long his eyelashes are. I look directly into those fire and ice eyes and it makes my heart thump a little harder causing my cheeks to turn red even though I know no one else can see the effect that this boy is starting to have on me. "Maybe you can teach me the right way to trade Katniss." Peeta suggests.

"Ok," I say a little breathlessly. "Maybe lets pull out everything we have and we can see how we can trade our lunches."

It turns out that between my meat and apple, and Peeta's stale rolls and cookies we manage to split our lunches completely in half. Once we do that we have a better lunch than any other kid in our class, maybe even the whole school. After that we sit next to each other for snack time and lunch time everyday, seeing what the other had to trade. After a month no one sits with either of us, we are the only kids mixing Seam with Merchant. It becomes so routine that one day I notice that both of our meals we just a mixture of sharing half of all of our food with the other, no trading or questions asked. This way I got dessert and Peeta got meat or berries or anything else that my father brought from beyond the fence and in the magical forest that kept us eating better than most of the district, even the lucky ones like the family of bakers that Peeta comes from.

Eventually kids kept away from us. The Merchant kids don't want to risk having their parents find out they were playing with the kids from the Seam, Seam kids not wanting to play with those "stuck up" Merchant kids. Peeta and I would share lunches then play on the playground together or tag or hide and seek with each other, it was like at school we were allowed be in our own little world. At the end of the day Peeta would walk home with his brothers and go back to whatever Merchant friends he still had remaining, I would walk to the Seam usually with Momma and Hazelle Hawthorne and her son Gale who really didn't talk to me very much.

This continued for months, until the winter came and it was so cold outside. Our little house would allow the snow to blow in under the doorway. One day our music teacher started to keep me in for recesses once a week so that I could practice the Valley Song. I was so grateful to have an opportunity to stay inside the nice warm classroom. We were practicing for the Victory Tour for the new Victor of the Hunger Games. Other kids were brought in who had special talents to show so they could practice, one of the older girls could dance and I loved to just watch her and I wished that I could move as gracefully as she does.

"There she is, the girl who dances." I pointed her out to Peeta one day when we arrive at school before the entry bell rings. He glances up from my hands, he always insists his hands get too warm in these gloves that his mother the baker's mean wife insists he wears. Since he knows my hands are always cold he insists I wear them and helps me fit my fingers into the glove the correct way. I watch him as he looks at the dancer for a moment and push a few of his blond curls back from his eyes so he can see better.

"That's Gemma Tailorson, the seamstress' daughter. She's one of the prettiest girls around. She always gets to wear the nice dresses that her mommy and daddy make for her." Peeta says as he watches her for a moment. I look back at Gemma and then back to Peeta whose gaze follows her and hasn't stopped since I pointed her out. It makes my chest burn and I don't know why. I look at here again but I can feel the scowl on my face that momma has told me many times will stay there if I don't smile more often. "She's not as pretty as you though." Peeta states firmly and my attention goes back to him quickly, he's looking at me softly with a small crooked grin on his face that just shows the gap in his teeth where he just lost his first tooth.

The only time I didn't like going to practice was if a practice day happened to be on a day when Peeta would come to school sad and had a new bruise or some other injury from playing with his brothers, I didn't know why his momma and daddy don't make them play nicer. I mentioned that at home one day and momma looked so sad when she said, "I don't think it's his brothers causing those bruises." I asked what she meant but she didn't answer me, she does that sometimes, just not answer me and that's when I know that she's doing that because I won't like the answer she has to give so I just don't ask again. He's still holding my hand, the one he was putting the glove on even though there's not a reason to be holding my hand anymore. I've seen my daddy hold my momma's hand like this before, seen him look at my momma the way Peeta is looking at me. I remember my momma smiling at my daddy and kissing his cheek, so that's what I do. I step up to Peeta Mellark in the middle of the school yard, in front of all the other kids and any parents who are dropping their kids off for the day. I kiss his cold cheek and instantly his face turns red with blush, but I smile at him and he smiles back at me.

The Victory Tour arrived the next day, on a morning that was clear and calm. Daddy was just getting home from working all night and I ran outside and leapt into his arms. He kissed my momma on the cheek, "I don't know if we should send Katniss to school today. It's awfully calm, and look at those clouds coming in the distance. We're going to be buried in snow my day's end."

"You know the Peacekeepers will just come looking for her. Besides, it's Victory Tour day at the school. The train arrived this morning and Katniss has been practicing extra hard, she'll be so disappointed to stay home and not perform her song. Won't you, honey?" Momma asks me.

"Yeah Daddy, I get to sing for the Victor of the Hunger Games, Enobaria from District Two." I say excitedly and run ahead of momma in the direction of where I know we meet the Hawthornes to walk to school together. Gale may be a bore, but the new baby Rory is cute.

"Besides, I want to have a chance to talk to you alone. The mayor's wife mentioned seeing something happened yesterday morning before school between Katniss and her little friend, one of the baker's sons." Mother tries to whisper seriously, but I'm still close enough to hear and stop in my tracks immediately so that I can listen more.

"Is it good or bad?" Daddy asks with a furrowed brow.

"I'm not sure, it depends on how angry the baker's wife still is at us." Momma says.

That morning I got to school with nervous butterflies in my stomach, I didn't know which to be worried about more - the show or what my momma meant about the baker's wife being angry. I know how angry she can get, Peeta has told me about how he sometimes has to hide from his momma, that he wished he had a nice one like mine. The nervousness was heightened when Peeta wasn't in the school yard in the morning, he's always here to meet me in the morning. I found Peeta sitting in front of his cubby, hewas crying and holding his arm. "Peeta, what happened this time?" I asked. He held up his arm and it hung limply in a sickening way halfway between his elbow and wrist, as if there were another elbow in between that bent the opposite direction of the other one. "She used a rolling pin this time when I was reaching for a cookie to bring for lunch. Daddy always lets me take one, but she was angry about it today because they were supposed to be special for the people who are here for the Victory Tour. I had to hide how hurt I was or else I'd have to stay home and I don't like to be home when she's angry like that." Peeta whimpered. I ran right away to our teacher Mrs. Appleton and brought her to Peeta. She took Peeta to see the school nurse right away and he came back hours later wearing a sling that held his arm in place and was tied around his neck. He sat quietly and sadly for the rest of the day until the Victory Tour arrived and I had to go back stage to get ready to perform.

Turns out Daddy was right, in the middle of my Valley Song the blizzard swooped in with such force that the kids were kept indoors to play in the tiny auditorium when the show was over. Since there isn't much in the way of transportation in District Twelve the entire Victory Tour was stranded in our little school with the kids in the auditorium. I looked for Peeta but when I found him he and his two older brothers were talking to a man and woman who were obviously from the Capital. The man had picked Peeta up and had him sitting on his tall strong shoulders and Peeta was laughing giddily and not at all concerned with the pain in his arm or looking for me so I turned on my heel went to play with the Madge Undersee, the only other kid willing to play with me sometimes. Eventually they started sending kids home so that the people who were part of the Victory Tour didn't have to put up with the restless, screaming, and playful children of District Twelve.

Daddy came to get me from school and made arrangements for Mrs. Hawthorne to babysit me until momma got home. Just before the winter this year there was an opportunity for work for one lady to be the new receptionist at the Justice Building. Momma was very lucky to get the job out of everyone in the Seam. Daddy said it was because she was lucky enough to have been friends with the Mayor's wife a long time ago when they were kids. Now she works while I'm at school, "Why isn't momma coming home?" I asked glancing nervously at Mr. Hawthorne waiting to leave for work with daddy.

"Well, the bossy lady at momma's work says she has to stay late tonight, and I have to go to work soon. As soon as momma is done working she'll race right over here to pick you up. You can play with little Gale until momma gets here." Daddy says, Mr. Hawthorne laughed lightly when daddy called Ms. Cardew "that bossy lady".

"What is she doing at work?" I asked again, not understanding why momma is allowed to come home every other evening after work but not tonight.

"Well, the snow storm didn't stop the Victory Tour from heading out for District Eleven by train, but it seems that President Snow's daughter and her husband want to stay behind and see more of District Twelve. Momma is helping them get settled in for their stay and helping their guards to know what there is to District Twelve. This is a good thing, a very good thing for the District." Daddy says with a smile and kiss on my forehead before turning to leave to go to work with Mr. Hawthorne. Gale isn't any fun, he's just loud and noisy and likes to smash things together and I can't keep track of the things he's pretending to be. Mrs. Hawthorne just smiles at his playfulness and is busy making dinner and caring for their new baby. Mrs. Hawthorne insists I call her Hazelle and lets me help her with dinner which turns out to be really good. I fall asleep before momma comes to pick me up and I wake up in my own bed in the morning and I don't really even remember how I got here.

We are rushed in the morning, we have to be quiet in the mornings because Daddy is tired from getting home from work and he's trying to sleep. This morning Momma is short with me and insists I'm not moving fast enough and I keep dropping things and making the house very noisy. I get to school earlier than usual that day and I'm a little tired from staying up so late trying to wait for momma to get home from work. I'm angry when momma leaves me alone at the school. We didn't even wait for the Hawthornes this morning and I'm here so early that I have to wait out in the cold for so long until finally Peeta and his brothers arrive. Peeta is acting weird though and waits until the bell rings and we're allowed to go inside before acting normal around me. "Guess what I have for lunch today?" Peeta says from beside me as I'm hanging my jacket that is too thin for this weather on the hook in my cubby. His arm is still in the sling, but it is also wrapped in something hard, a large white thing.

"What is that?" I ask as I poke and touch it gently.

Peeta holds his arm up slightly, "Mrs. Snow had her medical team look at it. It hurts much less now and they even gave me medicine for if it hurts too much." I look at it for another few seconds before Peeta says again excitedly, "So guess what I have for lunch."

"What?" I ask just as excited as he is now that I know he's not hurting anymore. I decide to wait to ask who Mrs. Snow is."

"Chocolates from the Capital." Peeta looks around before he continues in a whisper, "That nice lady from the Capital gave them to me and my brothers. They ate theirs right away; I saved mine so that we could share today."

"Oh," I say disappointed as I look down at my shoes. "I don't have anything good enough to trade for that." All I know I really have is a thick piece of ration bread that isn't nearly as good as the rolls that Peeta brings from the bakery, especially when he brings the ones that have cheese on them, even if they are a little stale. There's not even a piece of meat to go with my bread, daddy didn't get much this past Sunday when he went hunting in the woods.

"Trade?" Peeta says with a disagreeing tone in his voice as he shakes his head. "We don't trade, we share. It doesn't matter what you have, I share with you, you share with me. That way it doesn't matter whose lunch is better and we always get to eat together. That's the way we always do it, right?" Peeta points out and when he smiles at me I become less grumpy because Peeta has given me something to look forward to. I smile happily back at him knowing that my day will get infinitely better.

Then it doesn't, it gets worse. Just before snack time Peeta gets called out of the classroom and I sit by myself and eat my lump of ration bread. I wait for him to come back before lunch, but he doesn't return. When all the other kids are standing at their cubby's getting their lunches I have nothing and I stare guiltily at Peeta's brown paper bag that I know has his lunch in it. Quick as a flash I snatch it up and sit in our regular spot at the lunch table by myself. I decide to eat my half, but I'm so hungry and Peeta is still nowhere to be seen and I accidentally eat the whole thing, except the chocolates from the Capital but I can imagine that they would melt in my mouth and make me feel like such a lucky kid for even getting to taste this delicacy just this once. So no one steals them I put them in my jacket pocket at my cubby. I feel so guilty that the lunch seems to be tossing and turning in my stomach all day until the final bell rings and Peeta doesn't return. I'm just happy that he won't find out that I ate his whole lunch without waiting for it to be shared.

Daddy picks me up and takes me to the Hawthorne's again. The next morning is the same rush, rush, rush from mommy as the day before. Peeta meets me at my cubby in the morning, "Did you eat my lunch yesterday?" He asks.

I look down at my shoes that are soaking wet from the snow melting into them, "Yes."

"Good." He says and it makes me look up into his glowing blue eyes, "If I'm not back by snack time again today eat it again, in fact," He takes his brown paper bag and puts it in my cubby instead of his, "Keep it just in case. Mrs. Snow took me and my brothers for lunch in the Victor's Village yesterday. We had a lot of fun, she has a lot of toys even though she can't have children of her own."

"She can't have children of her own? Why not?" I ask, but Peeta just shrugs his shoulders and the teacher ushers us into class before I can ask another question about it.

The same routine of daddy walking me from school to the Hawthorne's, falling asleep there and waking at home, and Peeta giving me his lunch in the morning and being pulled out of class before snack time happens every day for the rest of the week. Every lunch that Peeta gives me has the same chocolates from the Capital, and I keep putting them in my jacket pocket, hoping to share them with Peeta the next time he stays at school all day.

Early Sunday morning I'm woken by the sound of my parents yelling at each other like I've never heard before. It's so early the sun isn't even up yet. It's scary and they are saying mean things to each other, before this morning I've never even heard them raise their voices toward one another before. I hear my momma say "You didn't tell me it was going to be this hard. Katniss deserves better than this, she deserves to wear proper clothes so she doesn't freeze every day while she's at school. She deserves proper meals, you can hardly provide ends meat!" and I don't want to listen anymore so I clamp my hands over my ears and hum the Valley Song to myself so that I can't hear what's going on. When I run out of song to hum just as daddy yells so loud that she "didn't need to spread her legs for the first man she met from the Capital just to escape this hell!" so I just start humming the song from the beginning and hum it over and over until my shoulder is being shaken and I realize I'm being woken up. I open my eyes and my hands have fallen from my ears but my eyes are crusty from falling asleep with tears in my eyes and its morning. Momma puts her hand over my mouth and a finger to her lips to indicate that I should be quiet. She silently helps me get dressed and we tiptoe through the house, daddy is asleep on the couch that isn't comfortable to sleep on at all because of how many springs poke through. Momma silently opens the door and I don't dare say anything until home is out of sight.

"Where are we going, momma?" I ask.

"We're going to a new and better place; we're going to the Capital with momma's new friend." She answers me too cheerfully.

"Will daddy come to the Capital later, like after work?" I ask slightly out of breath from running to keep up with momma's quick walk. She must not have heard me though because she doesn't answer. We just keep walking quickly until I can see the train station and there's a commotion drawing a crowd of people on their way to open their businesses for the morning.

I recognize Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, Peeta's parents from the bakery. Mrs. Mellark is kissing her sons on the forehead and saying goodbye. Mr. Mellark looks sad, like he's fighting the tears from falling from his eyes. Peeta looks sad too, but his brothers look like their mother, like their going on a trip and aren't afraid and happy to be leaving. When Peeta sees me his eyes brighten and he looks somewhat relieved. There is a four Peacekeeper formation around the man and woman who are smiling and patiently waiting for the Mellarks to finish saying their goodbyes to each other. It's the same man and woman who were talking to the boys on Victory Tour day, the man who had Peeta on his shoulders, the ones who are from the Capital who have been taking Peeta and his brothers from school all week. One Peacekeeper taps the other on the shoulder and points to momma and I, the Peacekeeper breaks the formation and the remaining three make up for the one man who walks toward us and removes his helmet. He looks a lot like daddy but older and he smiles at momma, I look at momma and she smiles back at him. It's not until they kiss each other like I've only seen momma kiss daddy that I know something here is so wrong, so very wrong.

"So it's true!" Daddy yells with such an angry voice from behind us as he pushes his way through the crowd that it makes me jump. My knees feel like they are knocking against each other and my stomach fills with dread at the confrontation that is about to take place. I know momma's aren't supposed to kiss people who they aren't married to. Daddy's face is so angry. The three Peacekeepers begin to rush the man and woman and the Mellark boys onto the train. Daddy makes it to us in a few long intimidating steps, "If you're planning on leaving then go, I don't want to be with a woman willing to do the things that you have done just to escape this place that was her home, but you're not taking Katniss." Daddy says as he scoops me up into his arms and hugs me as if protecting me from danger.

"Like hell she's staying here. There's nothing here for her. Just a life of hardship and struggle until she's old enough to be in the reaping, and then what if she makes it past that? She just has to continue the life of hardship and struggle until she can marry some miner? No, I won't let her make the same mistake I did." Momma reaches out for me but my arms wrap themselves around daddy's neck and daddy steps back protectively. "Come Katniss, you're coming with me." Momma says in a voice that is meant to be calming, but with her angry expression sounds more like a threat.

"No!" I yell. "I want to stay with daddy, I want to go home!" I shout at her before I openly start to cry and bury my head in daddy's shoulder. The train blows its horn so loud that it scares me and I cry harder, "Don't make me go!" I yell desperately.

"The train is going to leave, we can send for her later. A train will be here next week, we'll fight for her from the Capital, we have to go, and it's now or never." The evil Peacekeeper who is taking my momma with him says as he takes some steps toward the train.

I look up from daddy's shoulder and at momma, she looks sad and like she's going to change her mind. I reach my hand out to her, "Stay momma, stay with us." I beg.

Momma takes my hand and I smile, thinking this means that she's staying, but instead she kisses my hand before placing a hand over her stomach. "I'll send for you, I have to go Katniss. Be a good girl, ok?"

I watch as she turns and takes the Peacekeeper's hand, they run for the train as it's about to pull away from the station and board it. In one of the windows a pair of familiar blue eyes watch me, "No, Peeta! You need to stay too!" I wave my hands desperately in the air. He places a hand against the window and I see he is shouting something too but I don't get to hear it. Daddy and I watch as the train takes our favourite people from our lives, not caring about the crowd watching as our hearts break.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 1

I hear the satisfying sound as my arrow cuts through the air just before I see it penetrate the eye of the rabbit I've been hunting. I look at my father with a satisfied victorious smile on my face, my daddy gazes down at me proudly.

"You're doing so well, you hardly ever miss anymore. It's too bad you're heading off to the Capital, I could use your help for the next few weeks hunting before the winter comes." Daddy says as I retrieve my kill, remove the arrow and wipe it clean of the rabbit's blood using the dried colourful leaves that cover the forest floor. "I was even going to let you do the south trail all on your own this year." Daddy says with a teasing tone that makes me look at him quickly.

"You are actually going to let me go out on my own?" I ask excitedly, "You would actually let me do that, for the first time ever?" I practically shout surely scaring away anymore game that would have been within shooting distance.

Daddy laughs, "Don't worry, that's something you have to look forward to when you return. We still have lots of time even if you are gone for two weeks, when you get back I'll let you do the south trail all on your own." He assures me.

I'm so excited I jump up and down before lunging at him to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. I've been wanting for so long to try hunting all on my own, I will be twelve next spring, I think I've been old enough to hunt on my own for a while but daddy was always against it. I think I have a feeling I know exactly why he's promising this opportunity now. "You know that's not the only thing I have to look forward to about coming back."

"I know, I know," Daddy says somewhat defensively. "It's just one more thing to look forward to."

"I'll always come back to you daddy, I won't leave like she did. I love it here, it's home. I miss you a lot when I'm gone." I don't add the part "Even if I don't have a completely miserable time my whole stay.", instead keep that to myself, confident that I have already put his mind at east that I will return. I skin the rabbit quickly with a skilled and experienced hand before stuffing it into the game bag that is slung around Daddy's shoulder. We begin our walk home; we've had a very short hunting day today, normally on a Sunday in autumn we'd stay out until late afternoon trying to catch as much game as we can for trading and stockpiling herbs and other food for the upcoming winter. However, this is a travel day for me, one of the blocks of time that I need to go to stay with my mother and her husband Romulus and my little sister Primrose. "It's not so bad there. Thread tries really hard to be extra nice to me, and I do really like to see Prim." I say thinking of the soft hearted little girl who looks exactly like my mother and was born nearly nine months to the day after my mother ran away from District Twelve.

"What about your Mother? It's nice to visit her too right?" Daddy asks.

I think long and hard about that before I answer. There is no doubt in my mind that if it weren't for Prim I probably would have stopped the visits long ago. I've never really forgiven my mother for leaving me and daddy here that day. I haven't forgiven her for trying everything in her power to get the Capital courts, who barely gave her permission to stay in the Capital, to give sole custody to her instead of daddy so that I would be living in the Capital instead of here at home in District Twelve. I can't imagine living there, not here to be free to do what I want like hunt in the forest with daddy. I think of Prim who is a part of that Capital world, but she's so delicate that it seems like she was always supposed to be there. District Twelve would have been so unforgiving to such a fragile little girl. District Twelve is home for me. I was lucky there were two very important factors kept me here in District Twelve. The first was that at the time Romulus Thread was just another Peacekeeper. When momma met him he was good enough to be on presidential guard for President Snow's only Son and his wife, but he was not even Head Peacekeeper on that line and that Victory Tour was his first mission ever working for someone from the Snow family directly. He had no real authority in those early years when mother was trying to gain custody of me. His promotions have been coming fast since then, working his way up to Head Peacekeeper for Mrs. Snow the president's daughter-in-law, then Snow himself, now in her last letter to me that came only a few days ago mother said that he had been promoted to the head of all of Panem's Peacekeepers. The second thing that kept me here was the fact that people in the outlying districts are generally feared of by the people of the Capital and when the Custody Official overseeing our case came to visit me I bit her. After that it was determined that I was only required to visit the Capital to visit my mother for two week visit every three months. It took two years before I even saw my momma for the first time after she left us, by then she had a new husband and a toddler. She traded me and daddy in for a better version of our family and haven't really ever trusted her since that day she left. "Seeing Mother is ok too, I guess." I mumble reluctantly. Daddy chuckles slightly but doesn't ask any more questions, instead he says, "I know you still have your own reservations about your mother, but work on trying to forgive her. I don't think there is anyone in any district who would turn down the opportunity your mother found herself presented with." I scowl at the snow while processing the truth of his words.

"I wouldn't." I mutter angrily.

"You might, if it was real for you. I don't think it was for her, but it might be now." Daddy says with sadness behind his eyes.

"If what was real?" I ask confused, but we are back at the fence and daddy holds a finger to his lips indicating that I should be quiet now.

As we sneak back into town from the outside of the fence we see that the train is just arriving to the station. We walk as quickly as we can to our little home and open the door to find Haymitch Abernathy sitting at our kitchen table. "I know you two like to have your little day together before she leaves, but your cutting it a little close don't you think?" Haymitch half-heartedly complains as he hands me my travel bag that contains essentially nothing, it's nearly empty since we'll be in the Capital tomorrow and they'll dress me up as a little Capitallite as soon as I arrive. "Are you ready to go?" He asks me.

"Yep." I say as I throw my arms around daddy one more time. I know this good-bye is always hard for him, and I hate to do it. "I love you, daddy." I whisper into his ear as he's crushing me in his huge hug.

"Remember," he whispers into my ear without releasing me from the hug, "When you get back you're hunting on your own." With one last squeeze he releases me and smiles down at me in spite of the tears that I can see welling up in the corners of his eyes.

Haymitch slaps him on the back reassuringly, "Don't worry, maybe they won't even keep her for the full two weeks this time. She looks absolutely savage, I bet they're still expecting there to be a day when she arrives wearing all the junk they send back with her." Both me look down at me and I know my hair is a mess, my face is dirty, and my clothes well worn, but I like to arrive looking as authentically District Twelve as I can. They can't make me into something that I'm not.

Haymitch has always been my escort from District Twelve to the Capital and back. Part of the reason is that he is one of the only residents who is allowed inter-district travel as District Twelve's only remaining Victor; the other is that he volunteered for the job. He and Daddy have been really good friends since that day Mother left us, he was the one who picked my daddy and me off the ground and took us to his home in the Victor's village. We even stayed there for a few weeks until the hurt went away enough for us to face home without Mother there. I wonder if she knows how much Daddy really did love her and how badly he hurt after she left. I don't think he'll ever recover from her abandonment.

Mr. Hawthorne and his whole family are outside waiting to say their goodbyes to me, they always come around to say goodbye. Hazelle has been like a substitute mother to me since my own mother left, I think she likes having at least one girl around some of the time; she has so many boys in her house. She's pregnant now and Hazelle and I are sure this time around it will be a girl that we can dress up and I can play with. Haymitch shakes hands with Mr. Hawthorne and says a quick greeting but says, "Ok everyone, we're already late and she's not going forever, only two weeks. She's been though this before haven't you Sweetheart?" Haymitch says as he looks at me for confirmation, I give a firm nod. "There, see? She's not scared, it's the people of the Capital that need to be scared of her." I'm pushed along and as we get closer to the train I see Madge Undersee waiting at the train station while her father the Mayor talks with someone from the Capital. We quickly run to one another and hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much while you are gone." Madge says.

I laugh lightly as I step away from Madge, "Don't worry, I'll be back in two weeks."

"Yeah, but those two weeks are always so lonely without you." She sighs and flips long golden hair over her shoulder.

I put my hand on her shoulder, "Don't let them push you around while I'm gone." I say seriously, "Just hang around with Gale if anyone gives you any trouble."

Madge shakes her head, "No one has teased us in years Katniss. I'm not worried about anyone giving me trouble for hanging out with kids from the Seam. It's just going to be lonely without you for the next two weeks." Then she glances over her shoulder at Gale and sighs again, "Besides, I don't think Gale wants me hanging around him anyway. He's got other girls he wants to hang around with."

I snort arrogantly, "Yeah, he sure has become a pain since he grew so much this summer and all the girls started swooning over him. Don't worry, he'll still watch out for you, he'll have me to deal with if he doesn't." I say with a wink to my best friend before I head back to Haymitch. With one last hug from my dad we board the train and I wave at my friends and family as the train pulls away.

Haymitch doesn't immediately retreat to his living quarters, which is a good sign. Since it's really only in use one time per year and my mandated Capital issued visits tend to not fall on a supply day we usually get to use the District Twelve tribute train to take us directly from District Twelve to the Capital. Usually the same train takes me back again, it's been this way since my mother became a doctor in the Capital. One of the conditions of becoming a Capital citizen was that she had to find meaningful work. It's not really a fair system since anyone born in the Capital doesn't have to meet those requirements - meaningful work. They just spend their allowance from the Capital, but my mother spent four years in medical school and now alters the appearance of the Capital citizens as they please. Now she's got more money than the people that she worked to hard to become a part of, and they would still look down on her for coming from an "outlying" district if anyone ever found out.

When it comes to Haymitch and my visits it's only a really bad trip when I have to go to the Capital on Reaping Day. They always arrange so my visits fall on a Reaping Day since the train is headed for the Capital anyway. I've known every tribute District Twelve has ever sent for the past five years. Sometimes just being on this train can be hard for Haymitch, but I think it's not so bad for him since he knows he'll be returning with me. Once we are settled in we pass most of the time playing card games that he taught me long ago and eating food that you can't get in District Twelve. When late and dark outside I fall asleep on the plush couch in the main area.

When I wake the next day we still have a long boring ride until we finally reach the Capital, I've been here so many times I don't even bother to look out the window when we arrive, I just know we are here when the train goes completely dark as we enter the tunnels that will deliver me to the train platform.

The station is practically empty, there is nearly no one here except for my mother, Thread and Prim. The doors open and a bouncy excited Prim jump into my arms and I hug her excitedly. "Oh, Katniss I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too!" I reply to her genuinely. Once we step apart from each other I notice that she is particularly overdressed. "You didn't have to dress up just to meet me at the train station Primmy."

"We're going to a party to celebrate Daddy's new job, right mommy?" Prim asks for confirmation as she looks to mother and Thread. It's then that I notice that they are both dressed in very expensive looking evening wear.

Mother sighs heavily, "Does he always have to send you here so…so…filthy?" Mother asks.

I hold my head up high, satisfied that I've put a kink in her plans. "This is how I always look when I'm at home. There's nothing wrong with that is there?"

"You just look so uncared for." Mother says in an exasperated tone.

"She has lots of people who take care of her; Sweetheart here is just stubborn. She knows that no matter how well she dresses herself up for this place she'll just need to be polished and shined up a lot more once she gets here, so there really isn't a point in dressing up is there?" Haymitch defends me as he gets off the train; I smile glad that he was here to defend me.

Mother sighs, "I guess you're right. Katniss, there is a party tonight and I need you to look your best, we are taking you directly to be prepped and dressed then we'll be on our way, I think we'll have enough time." She says as she looks at her watch.

I say goodbye to Haymitch and hug him before he gets into a vehicle that is waiting for him like always whenever he brings me to the Capital. I don't know exactly what he does while I'm here but I don't see him at all until it's time to head back to District Twelve again in two weeks. Once we're all loaded into our own car I'm taken to a place where you can go to get your skin cleaned and polished and then have your hair and make-up done. It's a place simply called Cinna, named for the man who owns it. It just happens to be the closest place to the train station and usually my mother doesn't want to be seen with me looking fresh from District Twelve, she likes to have me polished and looking like a Capital native as quickly as she possibly can. Cinna himself is really nice, one of the only people from the Capital that I have come to genuinely like.

Thread tells the driver to head to Cinna's and to pull up as close to the entrance as possible. When we arrive I make sure to get out of the vehicle and walk as slowly as I possibly can and to smile and greet every Capiltallite with a big fake smile and a hand shake, which they reluctantly do, some with expressions of sympathy for an obviously under privileged girl, others with disgust at having someone from an outlying district actually touch their well polish, stained, perfect skin. Some can't even help their snorts of disgust, but that only satisfies me more. Mother and Thread practically push me through the door to Cinna's boutique and when the door chimes he's standing on the other side of the counter. "Cinna! It's me, I'm back!" I call out loudly as soon as I'm through the door and run behind the counter for a hug from my favorite stylist.

"Katniss! How have you been little one?" Cinna asks happily as he guides me through the door to meet with his prep team and sends my mother and Thread off with a quick wave that says "I've got this". Prim doesn't leave my side, but Cinna goes on to say "You never disappoint. I knew you'd come looking like your real self from District Twelve. Katniss, can I have your permission to take before and after pictures of you this time around, since we'll be dressing you up so much more than normal today?" Cinna asks.

I think about it for a minute, "Sure, Cinna. You've never taken pictures of me before." It's just a comment really I don't mean much by it but Cinna leans in real close to me and Prim like he has a secret.

"Do you mind if I submit them for my application?" Cinna says in a hushed tone that seems to be more playful then secretive.

"An application for what?" I ask.

"I'm applying to be a Stylist for District Twelve in the next Hunger Games." Cinna finally says dramatically.

Prim starts to bounce up and down on her feet excitedly, "Wow! The Hunger Games, you'd be so famous!"

"No he wouldn't be, not if he's styling for Twelve." I point out, "We lose every year and we're always miners. There's nothing exciting about styling for Twelve." I say and I can feel that familiar scowl on my face as I'm trying to think about this news logically, I can't come up for a reason why Cinna would want to do this. "You can still take the pictures and all Cinna, but why wouldn't you put your application in for a better District, like Four, or Two?" I ask skeptically.

Cinna smiles and tilts my chin up towards his face, "Let's just say you inspire me little girl on fire. I won't make them all simple coal miners, and I'll make sure they stand out, show all of Panem the fire they have within." Then with a dramatic flair that makes me smile, because somehow I know he actually means it he says, "I'll show all of Panem the fire that grows within the people of District Twelve, just like the fire I see in you. That's why I want Twelve."

Hours later when the prep team is done with me and I shine and sparkle like all of the other Capitallites. I walk in to the grand ballroom in President Snow's mansion with Prim, mother and Thread to a room full of applause as soon as the announcer introduces Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread and his darling family. I look down at the yellow dress and white ballet slippers that Cinna dressed me in sheepishly. I know that the applause is for Thread but feeling self-conscious all the same because I'm accidentally in the spot light of this family that I don't really belong to. My mother and Prim fit right in with their gorgeous blonde hair and bright blue eyes, Thread isn't all that bad himself I have to admit. After all he does look a striking amount like Daddy, except Daddy's hair isn't peppered with grey the way that Thread's is. I spare a glance at him to see his chest puffed out proudly, his hand on mother's shoulder as she looks around with just the right amount of bashfulness and pride in her eye for her very successful husband. I feel Thread's hand on my own shoulder and fight the urge to step away and embarrass him in front of all of these people. Prim is jumping around soaking up the attention and stealing hearts the way she does, some of the women making "aww" noises at her cuteness. We make our way into the crowded room and soon are enveloped by a crowd trying to take pictures and people wanting to congratulate Thread and Mother.

I take advantage of the fact that their attention has been taken up by all these strangers and duck away from them and head straight for the buffet table, I can't help but love to eat all of the elegant Capital food. Maybe, even if I didn't love Prim so much, the food would be enough to keep me coming back to the Capital for these visits. I look over my shoulder just to be sure that I've successfully snuck away but my breath is suddenly sucked from my body. It's like my body reacts before my brain can comprehend this situation.

"Katniss Everdeen?" The boy in front of me asks, he looks at me in disbelief, as if he's looking at a ghost.

"Peeta Mellark." I say breathlessly in answer to his question, but unlike him I say my words confidently. I know exactly who he is, I don't need to ask as if there is any doubt in my mind. There is only one boy in the Capital who would know my name, the one I remember so clearly as the boy who befriended me and didn't care that I came from the Seam. The only one whose eyes haunt me when I have nightmares of the day when my Momma left me behind to pursue the life she realized too late that she wanted. The life she wanted enough to leave her husband and little girl behind. The warm icy eyes of someone who wanted to stay as much as I wanted him to. I'm an inch or two taller than he is, his hair is longer than most in the Capital, his suit looks to have been made especially for him in an effort to make him look older than he actually is. Other than all of those things he still looks exactly like he did when we were kids, his hair is still the same golden blonde but someone made the effort to tame those messy curls, he glances at me with those big blue eyes and I can see that they are still as hopeful as ever.

"Actually its Peeta Snow now, no one here knows me by that name." Peeta says bashfully as he runs a hand through his perfectly arranged golden curls, effectively destroying the artwork of his stylist.

"Sorry, of course your name is Snow." I say as I shake my head, embarrassed at my obvious mistake. We stand awkwardly side by side unsure of what to say to one another. I'm probably one of the only people who know that Ryerson Snow is actually Rye Mellark, Peeta's oldest brother. He's joined his new parents on the victory tour for the past two years in preparation for when he will replace his parents as ambassador from the Capital. My visits are always scheduled so that I can ride the Victory Tour train back to District Twelve in the winter, the only stop is when we stop at whichever District to pick up the Victor is for that year. The role of the ambassador is virtually unknown, but Haymitch told me that what they do is feel out the general atmosphere of each district, like if there is the feeling of an uprising. There has never been an uprising or a threat of one and so a Capital ambassador is more of just a ceremonial role than anything actually useful. Ryerson is always sitting silently next to his parents, his hair is so eccentric and is almost always some shade of blue or green and since the Victory Tour takes place in the middle of winter his clothing covers his muscular build. He even cakes his face in makeup so I'm sure no one from District Twelve would ever know that it's Rye Mellark under that Capital get up. I only know because the first year he joined us for the trip he boarded the train looking like a normal sixteen year old boy. He was nice and he talked and played with me for a while, but just before we arrived back in the District his stylist dressed him up so much that when he came out of his room I hardly recognized this boy I had spent a whole day with.

Of course I should have known Peeta Mellark was Peeta Snow now. However, in my mind he will always be my old friend Peeta that was taken by the Capital.

"I knew our paths would cross again one day." Peeta says sheepishly and gives me a shy smile that unexpectedly makes my heart flutter. "I thought it would be today, that's why I insisted I come to this party." I can't help the small smile that creeps onto my face and I look at my shoes so that hopefully he doesn't realize how I'm sure my cheeks are turning red, I don't even know why they are turning red like this. "I really hoped you would be here." We stand next to each other awkwardly not knowing what to say next and watch as the adults praise each other and gradually the crowd dissipates. Prim spots us and comes running to me and wraps her skinny little arms around my waist. I think of just how skinny they could be if it weren't for her luck to have been raised in the Capital.

"Katniss, did you see everyone taking pictures? Momma says that we'll be in the news everywhere tomorrow. She even said that we can stay for a whole hour before the nanny arrives to take us home." Prim chirps giddily, but her expression suddenly changes when she realizes Peeta is standing beside me. "Oh, hi Peeta." She almost whispers as her cheeks redden darkly.

"Hello Prim." Peeta greets her. I look from one to the other curiously and Peeta must see the question I'm about to ask before I can ask it, "Prim and I sometimes get to hang out with each other when our parents get together. My parents and Prim's are still friends even if Mr. Thread doesn't work for my parents directly anymore." Peeta explains to me quickly. "Hey Prim, do you want to get some cupcakes?"

"Is Chef Tully working tonight?" Prim clasps her hands in front of her hopefully.

"You bet." Peeta assures her excitedly and he guides us to the dessert table in the buffet line.

The dessert table is filled with every kind of dessert I've ever seen in the window of Mellark's bakery and more. "Katniss look, look! There's my cupcake!" She shouts excitedly as she picks up a cupcake and shoves it into her mouth, effectively covering most of her face in icing.

I laugh as my heart swells with love for my adorable little sister. "How did you know that was your cupcake?"

"Because Peeta always makes me a special cupcake with my primrose flower on the top." Prim explains in a voice that is muffled because her mouth is filled with cupcake.

Peeta laughs at Prim as well, "It's a good thing I made two for you Prim." Peeta hands me a cupcake with a perfect icing primrose on the top, "Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to show Katniss."

I take the cupcake and inspect it closely. It's perfect, the icing flower is identical to the wild ones that I often come across in the woods of District Twelve with Daddy. If there are any imperfections with this icing flower they look like they were put there on purpose to somehow make it look even more real. "This is amazing work Peeta, you really made this?"

He nods his head and proudly stands slightly taller, "Well, Chef Tully lets me in his kitchen to do some baking. It's a hobby of mine." Peeta looks around in a careful way as if someone would be listening to our conversation. "The baker from District Twelve had actually been teaching me for years the basics of baking before I came home to the Capital. I actually made a few dozen of these cupcakes earlier today. My parents have had some of the Capital's best bakers teach me how to bake and decorate." Peeta admits in a way that seems humble, unlike other Capitallites that I've met, who if they are even remotely skilled in some real way are completely arrogant about it. Usually people of the Capital are quick to brag about any skill they may have, even if they aren't very good at it.

I'm about to take a bite of the cupcake when Prim screams out, "No! That's mine Katniss!" Her mouth is already stuffed with cupcake and her face covered in icing but she greedily reaches up and pulls the cupcake from my hands and we all watch as it lands with a seemingly loud splat on the floor. "Now look at what you did Katniss!" Prim yells as she stomps her little foot on the floor in a huff, the little heal on her shoe tapping loudly on the ballroom floor, and then she turns and runs in the direction of Mother and Thread's table.

Peeta goes to kneel to pick up the ruined cupcake from the floor but before he can an Avox appears and Peeta jumps away from them quickly. "Peeta, I'm so sorry I ruined your work." I apologize.

"It's fine Katniss, Prim is just a little more possessive then the kids from Twelve. She doesn't know what it is to have to share things like cupcakes, or what a privilege it is to get them." Peeta says in a way that almost seems to be apologizing on Prim's behalf as he turns his attention back to the dessert table. "Things are just different here."

I chuckle lightly, "You've been gone from Twelve for so long. How do you even remember what kids from Twelve are like, or what it was like to live there at all?" I ask hoping he realizes I'm indirectly asking how he remembers things like how is father the baker was teaching him to bake, or what it was like living with wondering from where and when your next meal may come. I had shared enough lunches with him when we were friends to know that even the lunches of merchant kids are sparse sometimes, and that their lunches aren't much better than those of the Seam kids. I've told this to Gale Hawthorne on some of those times our fathers take us out hunting and we're left alone together but he never believes me.

In response Peeta who had been searching the table reaches out and picks a cupcake and hands it to me. It's beautifully decorated with a realistic looking katniss flower on the top, "I didn't forget anything about District Twelve Katniss."

We spend the rest of the party together just having fun and slowly becoming friends again. Peeta even asks me to dance with him, when I tell him I can't he teaches me a dance that apparently everyone knows how to do. We have to stand very close together and we barely even move our feet, really this dance could be done on a pie plate but somehow as long as I'm with my friend Peeta it's not so bad. I notice the nanny come and collect Prim, I guess that hour was meant for only her. Either that or I've made the right friend at this party. I sigh, knowing that Prim will be a real pain with me in the morning. I'll have to be super nice to her if I want her to act like a normal kid and not a spoiled Capitallite.

The parents notice our friendship and arrange for us to see each other again while I'm here, but Peeta's schedule is so busy its two days after the party before we see each other at his home in the president's mansion. I'm excited to go so mother lets the driver take me a bit early, but she insists that Peeta is in the middle of a lesson so I need to wait for it to be over and not interrupt.

When we arrive an Avox opens the door, "I'm here to see Peeta Mellark." I tell the Avox, trying to not look directly at it the way that my mother told me. The Avox doesn't move and I realize my mistake, "I mean Peeta Snow, I'm here to see Peeta Snow."

I glance at it out of the corner of my eye and see that this time the Avox nods his head and leads me inside. We walk down a maze of hallways and when I'm certain that this Avox is actually taking me to a secret place where he'll turn me into an Avox himself until we stop outside of a set of double doors with windows in them. I glance through to see Peeta is indeed in the middle of a lesson, but I thought it would be more like school. This is the middle of a gymnasium and there is a trainer there with Peeta, and he's barking out orders and Peeta is doing drills that resemble fighting. Peeta and his brother Graham are wrestling, it seems that Graham is winning, but Peeta is fighting back with all his might and doesn't make it easy for Graham to pin him down, but the older boy is just so much bigger and eventually Peeta tires and Graham easily pins Peeta. The trainer breaks up the fight and the boys shake hands and walk to their respective benches and take a drink of water. I open the door and walk over to Peeta. "That wasn't a very fair fight." I comment, Peeta stops drinking from his water bottle and picks up a towel.

He gives me a half smile and wipes the sweat from his face and hair, "It's not supposed to be. If it wasn't Graham then they would bring in some other bigger kid to beat me up." He throws the towel in a hamper off to the side. "They will do that once I'm older, but for now it's Graham which really isn't so bad. At least he likes me and I know he won't hurt me too badly."

"What is this place anyway? My mother told me you were doing lessons." I question as I look around the room. This isn't a normal gymnasium, there are a variety of weapons hanging on the walls and the floors are all padded. I notice in the corner an archery range complete with modern bows and arrows made of some sort of metal as opposed to the wooden one that daddy made that I'm used to shooting in District Twelve. I start walking in that direction curious and Peeta follows in step with me.

"I am doing lessons; I'm training to be a Peacekeeper." Peeta says.

"A Peacekeeper? I thought you were a baker." I tease lightly and lean over and bump him with my shoulder causing that bright smile to return to his face.

"No, that's only a hobby. Rye will be president of Panem one day, Graham will be a Head Gamemaker, and I'll probably be a Head Peacekeeper. At least, that's the plan that Grandpa has for us." Peeta explains, "We all did this combat training though. Most kids of important people like us have to do this. If there is ever a rebellion at least we can protect ourselves. We'd probably be the targets of rebels after all." Peeta says but his voice starts faltering near the end as he watches me pick up the bow and load it with an arrow, take aim and miss the bulls eye on the target that has been placed at the far side of the room.

"You there, girl, what's your name!" Peeta's trainer suddenly shouts out from the far side of the room startling me. I drop the bow and it lands with a loud clatter on the floor, Peeta steps in front of me as if protecting me from the wrath of this trainer.

"This is Katniss Thread, the step-daughter of Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread." Peeta glances at me with apologetic eyes that tell me to be quiet and not correct that I'm an Everdeen, not a Thread.

The trainer doesn't stop his march towards us until she is directly in front of me. I don't cower like I know he's anticipating I will, but rather I stand tall and proud.

"Can you do that again girl?" The trainer asks me in a way that I know isn't a question, it's a demand. With a scowl I pick up the bow, I know that I can't let this woman from the Capital suspect that I am using weapons in Twelve, but I can't help it. I correct my aim for this new bow that I'm not used to and this time I hit a direct bulls eye on the target and when I do I turn and look at her smugly. The trainer nods her head in approval at my skill, but her expression suddenly changes to that of a sneer. "Where does a girl from District Twelve learn to shoot a bow and arrow like that?"

I can feel my heart race and my stomach drops. Peeta again stands in front of me, almost as if protecting me from the suspicious gaze of his trainer, "I told you, she's Thread's step-daughter. She's in the Capital almost as much as District Twelve. He had her trained just like everyone else, but she's in between trainers right now which is why she was sent here in the middle of our lesson." Peeta lies smoothly.

"Who was her trainer, who taught her to do that?" The trainer asks.

Peeta is such a good liar he answers quickly with a name I don't recognize but in a threatening tone he says, "You remember who he was right? He was dismissed because too many of his students didn't get along with him; it would be a shame if that were to happen to you. I just started to learn so much, and imagine how pleased my Grandfather and Head Peacekeeper Thread would be if you decided to take Katniss under your wing and take over her training." I can't see Peeta's expression since I'm standing behind him, but the expression on the Trainer's face changes and a glimmer of fear replaces the angry look she was giving to Peeta. A small sarcastic smile turns up on the corner of her lips, "Mr. Snow you are too smart for your own good. Your Grandfather would be pleased."

She turns her attention to me, "Miss Thread, my name is Atala. I'll inform your parents that your training will resume with me starting tomorrow for the duration for your stay here in the Capital and every time you are in the Capital." She glances at Peeta once more, "Lessons are over for today, we will resume at the same time tomorrow." With the dismissal Atala turns on her heel and walks out of the room.

I nearly forget all about Graham Mellark who was standing off to the side watching the exchange that just happened between Peeta, Atala, and I. "Way to go, Peeta." Graham comments sarcastically as he walks with long strides to a door at the side of the room, pushes it open and enters.

"Thanks." I say to Peeta when we are alone. "I guess it was pretty stupid of me to shoot that arrow."

Peeta turns his full attention to me quickly and puts a finger to his lips indicating that I should be quiet. "I'm going to change out of my training clothes. I'll be back in a few minutes." He quickly gathers his things and disappears through the same door that Graham did, but as promised, it's barely ten minutes before he returns dressed impeccably, but his unruly curls are wet and tousled as if he just ran his hands through his hair to comb them. He takes my hand and leads me through the mansion; again I'm taken through maze after maze of hallways until we reach the end of a long hallway. Another set of double doors are opened for me by Peeta and he practically pushes me outside. He takes my hand and leads me across the terrace, down a set of stairs and we begin to run across the vast expanse of lawn. "Head to the garden!" Peeta yells to me. I basically follow him, since I don't see a garden, only a wall of green with an opening, but once we go through the opening I find we are in fact in a garden. There are mostly roses growing here, but it's beautiful in it's manicured, polished and very man made kind of way. "This is the only place not being watched, this is where Grandfather has his most important "meetings"," Peeta says using air quotes for the word "meetings". "They are usually during the day, but if it's especially important they will be at night. Rye told Graham and I that this is the only safe place to talk if we don't want people to hear what we are talking about." Peeta looks at me and his careful façade breaks into a smile, "Actually what he said is this is the only safe place to bring girls if we didn't want to get caught with them, but I guess this is sort of the same thing." Peeta and I laugh. He finds a spot on the grass and sits. "So, how do you know how to shoot a bow and arrow really?"

I trust Peeta completely, he just saved me from exposing my father about him teaching me how to hunt, and he's been protecting me without me even realizing it. For the next two weeks we get to see each other almost every day. Thread covered for me about knowing how to shoot a bow and arrow by going along with Peeta's story when Atala arranged to have me added to the lessons with Snow's grandsons. He didn't ask me about it when I returned to my mother and Thread's home from the President's mansion. It's arranged that I will go to lessons with the Snow kids, then I'll have one hour after each lesson to visit with Peeta. Every day for that one hour we go to the garden and I tell him everything about my life and he tells me everything about his. I tell him about hunting, about how much I love my daddy and District Twelve, things that happen to us out in the woods, how Hazelle and I are so excited for the new baby coming.

Peeta tells me everything about his life, about how everything is arranged for him, about how he had a hard time adjusting to life in the Capital, about how he's lived here for most of his life now but even after all that time he just doesn't feel like he belongs, that his brothers don't want to ever have to remember what it was like in District Twelve and that they've assimilated to this way of life so fully that it makes him feel bad that he can't.

For the rest of my two weeks, even on weekends we spend two hours training and get one hour just to ourselves. Then because we are getting along so well, and although I'm from Twelve I am also Threads stepdaughter. Therefore I am deemed a satisfactory playmate for Peeta and we are allowed two hours together for our whole last week. We spend our time at the President's mansion, he introduces me to Chef Tully and we bake, but I'm horrible at it. Somehow Peeta makes it fun anyway and we laugh when the cookies that I mixed together myself are deemed inedible. On the day that I am due to leave we don't even have to train, we are allowed to spend our last four hours all to ourselves. Although, I don't mind Atala anymore. She's a hard teacher, especially on me, but so far I've risen to every challenge she's put forth and exceeded her expectations.

However, when I arrive at the President's mansion the Avox doesn't take me to Peeta. Instead I'm reminded of my first day here and taken through a maze of hallways until we arrive at a set of double doors with the President's Seal carved into them in gold. When the Avox pushes the doors open I nervously walk in, the ceilings are almost impossibly high, and the windows stretch from floor to ceiling as well. Sitting behind a grand desk is the President himself. I recognize him from the mandatory television viewing that we have to watch in Twelve. All grey hair and snake like eyes that are more scary in person than they are on television.

"Miss Everdeen, you are just as lovely as my young grandson described. Please, have a seat." President Snow extends a hand to the elegant chair on the opposite side of the desk he is sitting at. I don't dare think of disobeying and quickly take my place in the chair he offered to me. "I trust your time in the Capital has been pleasant, Miss Everdeen?" Snow asks in a way that I know is not a question.

"Yes, Mr. President." I say respectfully.

The president smiles in a way that make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, it's even more disturbing when I realize that he is the only person in the Capital so far that call me "Miss Everdeen" not "Miss Thread" like everyone else. "Miss Everdeen, since you've linked yourself to my grandson I've had my people look in to who you are. What you do, who your friends are, that sort of thing. I must say, some of your extra curricular activities concern me." He looks at me hard and I swallow a lump that has formed in my throat. Some how I know he's talking about my father and me hunting in the woods. "Adopting children from an outlying district is not ideal, but the wife that my son chose for himself didn't realize that she couldn't have children until it was too late. We don't have any community homes here in the Capital to choose from, and it's not a huge priority of my citizens to have more than they can afford. When my son and his wife went on that Victory Tour they stayed behind because she had fallen in love with the three golden boys of district twelve. I think that was exactly the family she had in mind and she didn't need to bother with taking care of infants after all. I looked in to the history of those boys the way I looked in to yours. I recognized your name immediately. There aren't very many young ladies with the name Katniss, not even in District Twelve. When my grandson came here all he talked about was you, until he finally understood that it was inappropriate for him to bring up his past life in twelve. However, here you are, in his life again. Something tells me this time he won't let you go without a fight." He pauses before saying anything more. Those snake like eyes narrow just before he continues, "I want you to think hard Miss Everdeen. From the moment you leave this room you will be untouchable. Anything that you do won't have any repercussions for as long as you are linked to my grandson. We will hide it, sweep it under the rug if you will, make anyone giving you a hard time disappear even. Anything to protect my grandson's reputation and the reputation of this family." He slides me a piece of paper and a pen.

I've never even held a pen, all we get in district twelve are pencils that we are hardly able to write with because they are so brittle, but I pick it up now awaiting further instructions on what the president wants me to do. "Write names on that piece of paper Miss Everdeen. Names of anyone else who you need to be untouchable as well, for your own sake. Think hard Miss Everdeen, don't forget anyone. Space is limited, so don't put people on there that you might want off later. This is an official list that goes directly to the Peacekeepers and Justice Building of District Twelve." I immediately write my fathers name and each Hawthorne. I can't think of anyone else who would need this kind of protection. Haymitch is a Victor and protected in his own right. Somehow I don't think he would need the protection of this list. I slide the paper back to President Snow, he smiles and nods his head at the names I've listed. "Done. Miss Everdeen, you can go to my grandson now. I hope very much that we get to know each other better and better with every visit you make to the Capital. Please remind your father and Mr. Hawthorne of our kindness." He says the last part very pointedly and I nod my head eagerly before the president politely dismisses me and I scurry out of the room.

When I close the door behind me I find Peeta waiting on the other side. "He told you right? That you are untouchable?" My heart is still pounding so hard that all I can do is nod my head. Peeta give a deep sigh of relief. Peeta takes me around the mansion, I say goodbye to Chef Tully, to Atala, to Peeta's brothers and his parents before we head out to the garden that has become our sanctuary. I find a picnic lunch waiting for us spread out on a blanket. I look at Peeta and instead of the elated and happy expression that I have become accustomed to once we reach the garden he has an expression of worry. "Your father and Mr. Hawthorne are rebellion leaders." Peeta says simply.

I gasp and shake my head, "No, my father is not a rebellion leader."

"He is Katniss, I came out early with Chef Tully to set this up, but instead we found Papa and Thread out here talking about District Twelve and the miners. Tully left right away, but I stayed. They were talking about your dad, that District Twelve couldn't really do anything to harm the Capital and that it was just talk. When they started talking about eliminating your dad just to be safe I revealed myself. I told Papa how important you were to me, that I want us to remain friends and that I don't want anything to harm you, if you lost your dad that would harm you." Peeta explains quickly.

I nod my head, "Thank-you Peeta. You didn't have to do that."

He looks me right in the eyes and with more seriousness than an eleven year old should be able to muster he responds by saying, "Yes, I did. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you that I could have prevented. This was one of those things." Between meeting the president, and seeing Peeta's concern for me and the lengths of which he looks out for me even when he doesn't have to my nerves are getting the best of me. My hands are shaking and I look at them, I watch as Peeta's hands cover my own and look up into his eyes. "Please don't let this ruin our day Katniss. I don't want you to regret being my friend. I know Papa is a lot to take in, but when he's not trying to intimidate people he is really very nice. He loves me and my brothers more than he has any right to love us. He accepted us into his family, didn't let people look down on us just because we were from Twelve. He loves his family very much and will do anything to keep us safe and happy. That includes the people around us. If you are happy, than I am happy, and that's what counts to Papa." Peeta reassures me.

I take a deep breath and try to slow the beating of my heart. I take a step away from Peeta because I'm not so sure that my racing heart isn't being affected by how close Peeta was standing to me, so to lighten the mood I say, "So, you call President Snow, Papa?"

Peeta smiles, "Yep, and he even helped me lay out this picnic since Tully took off on me. A lot of people are afraid of Papa, but he's just a big softie, that's what mom says about him." He says with a shrug. I choose to ignore the part about the President helping to lay out the picnic and just pretend that Peeta did it himself. The rest of the afternoon goes about without a hitch and eventually I forget about the meeting with Snow and all the seriousness as Peeta starts up a game of hide and seek. It's not really fair since he knows all the good hiding spots in this garden, but with my quiet hunter's tread I manage to sneak up and scare him a few times anyway.

We only stop playing when we can see the Avox sent to retrieve us from the garden. This means that the car has arrived to take me back to District Twelve. Peeta flops himself down on the grass and I take a seat beside him, both of us lay on our backs and look at the grey autumn sky that is somehow so perfect I wonder if the Capital has an artificial environment like the Hunger Games. "I still think of the baker and his wife. I know I shouldn't miss them, but I do, even her. Can you tell the baker that I still think of him, that I miss them both?" Peeta asks softly.

"Of course." I say to him, and he looks so sad in this moment, just like I remember him when we were so young and both in District Twelve. He walks me to the front door of the mansion, there are a few other Avox's around but the car that is sent for me to take me back home is waiting for me. I want to make him feel better, and I realize I've come to treasure the time that we spent together, that I've looked forward to seeing him every day while I've been here and that it will be months before I see him again. The thought of losing his friendship again, even if it will be waiting here for me when I get back makes me sad as well. "I'll miss you Peeta."

"I'll miss you too Katniss." Peeta says. I want to wipe that sad look from his eyes, so I lean over and kiss his cheek, just like I did when we were four on the very last day our lives were normal. Before everything changed and he was taken from my life just like momma. It works, he looks up at me sharply as he touches his fingers to where I just left my kiss on his face, surprise and happiness replaces sadness in the look that he was giving me.

"I'll be back. Now that we can be friends again no one will separate us." I assure him by taking one of his hand and squeezing it with my own before I run off to the car and practically dive inside when the door is opened for me as I approach.

I'm surprised when it's Haymitch in the car and not my mother or Prim or even Thread. "So, Snow's grandson, huh?" Haymitch says in that annoyingly coy way that lets me know he's had a few drinks of that clear hard liquor. Daddy told me Haymitch needs it sometimes to help him cope with the loss of all of his tributes. I suppose he need it now before we board the tribute train back home, but it makes him annoying as hell. My cheeks flare red and I wish they would stop; I just turn and look out the window as the car pulls away from the mansion.

"Where is everyone?" I ask in attempt to change the subject, maybe that will wipe that smug look of Haymitch's face. "Mother and Prim aren't going to say good-bye this time?" It's not usual for mother and Prim to send me off without saying goodbye, but it has happened before and I'm not especially put off by it.

"No, they're not going to say goodbye. Thread got called off on urgent business, something is going on. We're heading back to District Twelve in style; we get to take a Hovercraft." Haymitch explains as he takes a drink from a thin silver flask that he pulls from his pocket. "I guess it was a good idea to make friends with the president's grandson. You'll be well taken care of in the Capital if you two keep it up." I scowl at Haymitch and ignore his teasing for the rest of the car ride to the Hovercraft. I can't help but be excited, once we arrive and I see the hovercraft ready and waiting to take off. I've never been in one before.

Haymitch and I walk up the ramp and board the Hovercraft, I can't help but glance at all the weapons on board. "Why are we taking this to District Twelve, I thought we'd get a passenger craft, not a weapons supply craft." Haymitch comments to one of the Peacekeepers who board the hovercraft behind us.

The Peacekeeper lifts his visor, "You're hitching a ride with us today. We're doing a circle around District Thirteen, it's standard protocol whenever we suspect rebellion activity. We never see anything, but we still have to make the round."

"Rebellion activity?" Haymitch questions and turns his attention to me again, "Sounds like they're making things up just so you can get a free ride home Sweetheart. Don't worry, in a few years you'll have lover boy so wrapped around your finger we'll get a private jet to and from District Twelve." I scowl at his comment and when he takes a seat I make sure to take one as far away from him and his teasing as I can get. I sit near a window so that I can watch as we fly above the earth, at the same time worrying about all that was said to me today and hoping that it's all unrelated. Rebellion activity? What District would possibly risk taking on the Capital? It's suicide. We just start to take flight when a loud boom noise rocks the silent city.

I sit forward trying to see the pilots and I wish I did sit next to Haymitch. Our hovercraft continues to climb into the sky just as another loud boom that can only be an explosion is heard. There is a lot of commotion from the pilots but Haymitch is just looking out the window staying eerily quiet.

Two more explosions boom into the air and now there are sirens going off in the city and I can see the chaos in the people below, an entire city of people running for safety, but from our height they look like ants.

"There it is!" I can hear from one of the pilots. I undo my seat belt and run to another seat so that I can see the hovercraft responsible. It's a warship like ours and it's dropping bombs down on the city.

"Drop a bomb on it, you have to do something! People are dying down there." I practically scream. Thinking of what happens if it gets to Prim or Peeta.

"There's nothing they can do kid, they can't shoot at it, they might miss and hit the people. They can't drop a bomb on it that would defeat the purpose, everyone below could be killed. Besides, they can't shoot it down, the amount of bombs on that ship; wherever it crashes it'll explode and cause mass casualties." Haymitch explains in an incredibly sober way. He pushes his head back into the headrest and closes his eyes and clutches the arms of the seat that he is sitting in.

I run to the back of the ship, when we boarded I saw a bow hanging on the wall. I run to it and take it from the wall; beside it is a quiver of arrows. Somehow they look different, than regular ones, thicker on the end, but I don't have time to inspect them. I load an arrow in the bow; I find a shooting dock and open it. It's basically a hole in the side of the Hovercraft that I'm sure is usually used to shoot guns from the inside of the hovercraft but I don't know how to use a gun, I do know how to use an arrow. "Take us as close to that Hovercraft as you can get!" I shout at the pilots from the back of the hovercraft. One of them looks back and sees me at the shooting dock with my bow loaded and ready to shoot. "Are you sure you know what you are doing?" One of the pilots questions me. Haymitch looks away from the destruction going on and sees me taking aim.

"Yes, I know what I'm doing! I'm going to shoot at it with this arrow to get that hovercraft to follow us, and then when we are a safe range away you guys are going to shoot it out of the sky!" I shout.

Haymitch gets up from his seat, "Katniss, stop whatever it is you are doing right now!" he yells but as he stands up the pilots have decided to fly closer to the hovercraft and Haymitch is thrown to the ground since he wasn't strapped in or holding on to anything. I temporarily fall to the floor as well but scramble to my feet before Haymitch can even realize what is happening. Our hovercraft swoops dangerously close to the enemy craft and I shoot an arrow. An explosion of fire shakes the hovercraft where my arrow struck the side; I grab another arrow and look at it more closely. I realize these arrows must be loaded with some kind of explosive.

"Shoot another!" One of the pilots shouts as we pass the enemy craft once more, I shoot at it again another explosion rocks the enemy ship. I'm satisfied that I've encouraged the other craft to follow us when I see it turn in our direction. I close the shooting hatch and run to Haymitch lying on the floor.

"Haymitch, get up, we need to get into our seats." Haymitch just moans, he must have struck his head on something when he fell because his head is covered in blood that is also oozing onto the floor. I just stay on the ground with him and hold him as best as I can as the hovercraft maneuvers through the air. I hear loud clanging off of our ship and I know the enemy craft is shooting at us.

I hold on to Haymitch, one to keep him safe, two because he's the only person on this hovercraft I care about and who cares about me. I don't even realize how afraid I am until I notice my tears falling onto Haymitch's face. A battle ensues between the two crafts. I dare to crawl back to the shooting hatch. I open it and load the bow with an arrow. It's flying by dangerously close, I pull back on the bow and release an arrow, aiming for the engine on the side of the hovercraft, it's a direct hit and I watch as the engine blows up, causing it to spin dangerously and dive for the Earth below. Instead of watching the destruction that I've cause I head back to Haymitch and rest his head in my lap, hoping that we make it to safety and that there aren't more hovercrafts on their way to the Capital.


End file.
